Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan

New Delhi: The Communist Party of India (Marxist) on Thursday hit out at Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge over their criticism of the party in poll-bound Kerala, accusing the Congress of targeting the Left for electoral gains and being soft on the BJP.In a strongly worded statement, the CPI(M) said the Congress was backtracking on its claim of fighting communal-authoritarian forces and instead becoming “a feeder organization for the BJP”.The CPI(M) Politburo also strongly rejected the “provocative statements” made by Rahul Gandhi and Kharge against Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and the party’s secular credentials.“Such rumors are being spread by them to score cheap electoral gains in the assembly elections. By targeting CPI(M) instead of BJP, Congress leaders are going back on their claim of fighting communal-authoritarian forces. The people of Kerala will understand this sinister agenda,” the CPI(M) said in a statement.The reaction came as Rahul Gandhi and Kharge launched the United Democratic Front (UDF) campaign for the Kerala elections from Kozhikode on Wednesday, launching a broad front against the ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF).Gandhi alleged that there is an agreement between the LDF and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the state.Addressing the campaign through video conferencing, he said, “Here in Keralam, there are really only two parties fighting. One is the UDF alliance, and the other is the partnership between the BJP and the LDF. The UDF unites the people, listens to them, and embraces them and empowers them. The LDF and their hidden partners divide the people and crush them.”He also mentioned the cases registered against opposition leaders and questioned why similar action was not taken against the Kerala Chief Minister.Gandhi said he himself has around 40 cases against him and that the Enforcement Directorate has interrogated him for five consecutive days, and alleged that the lack of similar action against Vijayan “despite corruption cases” is evidence of the BJP-LDF’s understanding.Responding to the allegations, CPI(M), which is also a constituent of the India Bloc along with the Congress, said the Congress should introspect on why many of its leaders in different states joined the BJP.“It is a well-known fact that the current BJP Chief Minister of Assam held important portfolios in the previous Congress government. The entire Congress leadership joined the BJP in 2018 to defeat the Left Front in Tripura. Many ministers in the central government and MPs belonging to the BJP were earlier prominent leaders in the Congress. The Congress became a feeder organization for the BJP,” the statement said.The party accused the Congress of allying with minority fundamentalist forces in the state.“Even in these elections, the Congress is in alliance with minority fundamentalist forces. The Congress-League-BJP nexus has been exposed in various elections in Kerala, including the recently concluded local body elections,” it said.Kerala will go to polls on April 9 and counting of votes will take place on May 4. The Congress-led UDF is trying to oust the ruling LDF from power.